To Cut or Not to Cut ?

Grasses are a beautiful easy care group of plants that provide both beauty and utility in our gardens; but to get the best out of the plants a little timely maintenence is needed. There are two types of grasses when it comes to pruning and aftercare, those that are evergreen and those that are deciduous, and Neil will explain the different techniques needed to keep grasses looking great for the rest of the year.

Grasses will grow in pots and containers very successfully, but again a little annual looking after is needed to avoid potbound plants that disappoint during the season. ‘Healthy roots mean healthy shoots’, and Neil will look at the simple steps needed to achieve this.

Along with the ever popular Grass Masterclasses held in September and October there are an exciting lists of classes and events plannned for this season.

The Dorset Wildlife Trust will be undertaking the annual Great Heath Garden Wildlife Survey at Knoll on the 2nd of August. This is an annual survey and record of the wildlife to be found within the garden at Knoll; a kind of annual check up for the garden, and is something that garden visitors are welcome to take part in on the day.

On the 23rd July we are delighted to welcome national fern specialists, Country Garden Plant Sales, who will be at Knoll during the day as our guest specialist nursery. They will be happy to offer advice and help on anything to do with the growing of ferns and will also have a great selection of plants for sale.

There are two practical willow weaving courses, taken by local expert Tracy Standish, and three Herbal Medicine Walks taken by Rachel Heathcote, a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists who will open your eyes to one of the worlds oldest forms of medicine.

Breaking the rules – container gardening with a twist is the intriguing title of Jonathan Garretts event on the 18th June. Jonathan opened his first pottery in the 1980s moving to his Hare Lane Pottery in Cranborne in 1986. His work has featured at the V&A, the Scottish Gallery, the Chelsea Fringe, Hilliers Arboretum and London’s Garden Museum and he has been the subject of reviews in the Garden Design Journal and the National Trust magazine. Known internationally for his glorious containers, his unique take on garden sculpture could recently be seen in the Piet Oudolf garden at Alton’s Bury Court and Dorset’s Sculpture by the Lakes.
Jonathan sees containers as miniature portable gardens. His humorous talk explains how they can awaken and define otherwise inactive spaces.

On the 30th July Keith Powrie, an acknowledged expert on butterlfies and dragonflies, will lead a walk looking at Beautiful Butterflies. Keith is the person who has undertaken the butterfly surveys for a number of years at Knoll, and who has built up an amazing amount of information as a result.

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